Bad smear?

[stink08]

So dd24, my kids seem to be having 1 health problem after another at the moment, anyway had results from smear test and they have detected something wrong, I’m pretty worried what this would mean for her, bless her she already has a funny shaped womb, has had 1 eptopic pregnancy, and had cysts on ovarys, looking more and more likely that she is going to struggle having children and now this! I’ve no idea what the bad cells mean or effect it may have long term, any advice much appreciated

[EssexSue]

Have they actually said there's something wrong or have they just recalled her? It may be they didn't get enough cells to test.

[jemrock]

The tests these days are screening for the presence of HPV so it sounds as though she has had a test come back that says she has this.

It sounds scarier than it is - about 80% of people will have it during their lives but in most cases the body clears it itself without any medical intervention needed. They'll most likely ask her to come back for another one in either 6 months or a year. If it's still there at that point they might send her for a colposcopy so an expert can take a closer look.

Try not to worry - it's mainly bad luck that she had a test before the virus cleared, most people wouldn't even be aware.

[stink08]

The letter said she has to have a colposcopy!

[stink08]

This was her first smear, so she’s now terrified, and I’m slightly freaking out to be honest!

[HelenLime]

It’s worrying I know but please don’t panic. The reason we are offered smear tests is because they are excellent at detecting very early changes and any potentially dodgy cells can be removed easily, long before they become problematic.
My sister and a good friend have both had colposcopies and had cells removed. Both have not had any problems since and have gone on to have multiple children.

This is why we have the screening done. Try not to worry overly. If there are early changes there it’s good that they have been detected and preventative action can be taken. I know it’s hard though xx

[WhereIBelong]

Originally Posted by stink08

This was her first smear, so she’s now terrified, and I’m slightly freaking out to be honest!

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A smear test is a screening test to rule things out. All the call back for a procedure means is that they could not rule everything out based on that particular test, or that something has been found that needs looking at.

Most colposcopys find nothing, and even if they do find something, as it is her first smear then things would have been set in motion early.

Would not worry about it. Many women are sent for one. Often a colposcopy will mean she is called more often for smear tests, which is an absolute bind, but worth it.

Hope all goes well for her.

[jemrock]

Do try not to worry, I know it's hard, I had to have one in January after two tests came back as abnormal but everything was fine on closer inspection. My latest smear also came back clear - having to have one still doesn't mean the body won't clear the virus itself given a bit more time. Because of this approach huge numbers of women are sent for colposcopies that don't find anything, they are just really cautious.

Being asked to come in for a colposcopy felt really scary to me too and I know from experience it's easier to say than to do but try to remember that the test isn't even to check if she has a problem currently, it's to say, look, you are showing warning signs that something *might* be problematic way, way in the future (up to 20 years away *if* it did develop and was left untreated). This is why we test regularly in the UK, so that if there's a sign something *might* develop in future they can head it off via a minor procedure well in advance.

I hope that makes sense - if she's really worried it might be worth seeing if she can speak to a nurse who will explain it much better than I can and put her mind at ease.

[Baggie Bird]

Please try not to worry as others have said, although easier said than done.

During my mid to late 20’s I had to have a colposcopy every 6 months as my smear test detected abnormal cells. I had two separate procedures to remove them and was then followed up yearly over several years. It was worrying at the time but with every clear smear test it got easier.

All the best.

[stink08]

Thank you, replies have helped ease my mind a lot, fingers crossed that it’s nothing to be overly concerned with, I have always had this impending dread that she would get quite poorly with something, she just seems to be so unlucky with her health!